Telephone attachment



G. W. SUMNER M ys 1923 Tic-11.1.

Patented May8,1923. I LdMJ'Zd;

- snonsn w. SUMNER, onnononnsrnn, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE TWENTY:

rrnrns :T01RUSELL MoonBnnY, THREE TWENTY-FIFTHS .cro trnoivrns GRAY,THREE TWENTY-FIFTHS r ROBERT c. PANTER, AND THREE TWENTY-FIFTHS r0 J. WBYERS, ALL or nononnsrnn, nBBnAsKA. t

T LnrHonn ATTAC MENT; f

Application filed Octob r 11, 1921'. Serial No. 507,008.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known, that I, Gnoncn W; SUMNER, scribed and claimed.

a citizenof the United States, residing at Reference will 'now'be had tothe accom- Dorchester, in the county of Saline and panying drawingsforming a part of this State ofNebraska, have invented certainspecification, wherein: v a 1,

new and useful Improvements in Telephone igure 1 is a side elevationshowing my Attachments of which the following is a invention orattachment applied in -'coop'eraspecification. v r tive relation to thereceiver hook'i'o'f 'a con- The present invention appertains to 1m-,ventional telephone instrument.

loprovements in attachments for telephones de- Figure 2 is a sideelevation of the consigned for cooperation with the receiver structlonshown by Figure 1. hook of the ordinary conventional telephone Figure 3is a sectional view on the line equipment, and by means'of which saidhook 3-3'0f Figure 1. f may be held temporarily in a positionwhichThroughout the following detailed de- 5 prevents closing of thetransmitter circuit, scrlption and on the several figures of the forthe'purpose of saving the battery curdrawing, similar parts are referredto by rent and eliminating the noises likely to like referencecharacters. i v interfere with conversations over the talk- In thedrawing 1 designates the side board i oirguits of th 11 7 of thetelephone instrumentbox through of parts ton-be hereinafter specificallyI ,2 The invention is devised primarily for which'the receiver hook-2projects. This 7o use in conjunction with selective ringing hook isfulcrumedat 3 and is provided with or party line systnns, where thevarious a laterally extending arm 4 arranged to cosubscribers are ableto listen in upon the act with the free end of the hook switchconversations of the talking parties. spring 5. This spring carries abutton 6 25 As is well known, muchiannoyance is arranged to coactwiththe series'of circuit occasioned by those'subscriberswho listen closingmembersorleaVesZ. in because of the noises in the rooms of The foregoingconstructionis of" a' conthose subscribers who are listening only,ventional type and it will be understood by due to the fact thattheseare transmitted those skilled in the art to which the inventhroughthe transmitters of the various intion relates that when the receiver isposis0 struments, the transmitter circuits all being tioned upon thehook 2 the spring 5'is' held closed. In addition to this disadvantageout of coacting relation to thecircuit' conthere is a necessary drainupon the battact members 7 adjacent thereto inwhich teries of the localinstruments because of position both the line andtalking or transtheclosing of the battery circuit which is mitter circuits are open. Whenthe renot in use, and it is therefore the object of ceiver is displacedfrom the hook 2 the this invention to provide afsimple attachspring 5brings the first two of the circuit ment which may be readily arrangedsoas closing leaves into contact, closing the line to limit the movementof the receiver hook circuit, this taking place upon the partial .4 andpermit the latter to close onl the listennormal movement of the hook 2and upon ing circuit when the party desires to listen the completion ofthe movement of this i a in upon the line only, the attachmentincludhook the third circuit closing member is ing means for releasingthe receiver hook to impinged, thus closing, the primary or permit it tocomplete its normal full movetransmltter clrcuit. I 7 a i v 45 ment andthereby close thetalking circuit The'attachment which forms thesubject:at the will ofthe operator of the local telematter of this inventioncomprises a hook phone. member 'Wl'llCll is pivotally mounted upon Theabove and such other objects as may the side boardl by a screw 8adjacent to the hereinafter appear are attained by the novelreceiverhook 2 and said attachment is com- 50 construction, combinationand arrangement posed of the relatively fixed section 9 to loo which isconnected the adjustable section 10 having a lateral bent extremity 11arranged to engage over. the receiver hook 2. To the fixed section 9 isconnected an actuating arm 12 the outer end 13 of which is bent atrightangles to form a thumb piece. The arm 12; is connected to the hookmember of the attachment by means of the set screw 14 which alsoconstitutes the adjusting means for the adjustable section 10. Near theouter end, the arm 12 is provided with a guide slot 12 through which thescrew 15 extends into the board 1 and a spiral spring 16 is connected atone end to this stationary screw and at its other end to the screw 14for the purpose of placing tension upon the hook member normally holdingthe extremity 11 across the path of movement of the receiver arm 2.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that when the party desires tolisten in upon the conversation without talking over the telephone line,he removes the telephone receiver from the hook 2 and the latter iscaught at an intermediate position by the hook 11 which is so arrangedthat it will intercept the receiver hook at a point where only the firsttwo contact members are brought together. The listening circuit beingclosed, the conversation may readily be heard, but since the talkingcircuit is open the noises in the room of the instrument are preventedfrom being transmitted through the transmitter, and furthermore, thebattery current is not used. When it is desired to .talk over theinstrument, the operator presses upon the end of the arm 12 therebyshifting the hook 11 rearwardly and disengaging the receiver hook so asto permit it to move its normal full swing bringing the transmitter.circult into-operation. In this position the end of the hook 11 is heldin ment.

contact with the side of the receiver hook and immediately the receiveris hung upon said'hook, the downward movement of the latter will .permitthe hook member of the attachment to again assume its normal positionoverlying the path of upward movement of said hook. Thus it will be seenthat the attachment is always in position for-performing its functionbut mayreadily be displaced whenever it is desired that the talkingcircuit shall be closed.

One'o'f the important features of this simple attachment is theprovision for adjust- To' this end it is only necessary to attach thedevice by the screw 8 in a reason ably approximate position beneath thereceiver hook and the section 10 is then adjfusted by the screw 14 so asto occupy a position which will permit the movement of the receiver hookonly to that point where it-willinsure o f the closing of the linecircuit. The set screw 14 is then tightened and the attachment willremain adjusted so far as this particular instrument is concerned.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A telephone attachment of the class described, comprising a pivotallymounted stop member arranged adjacent to the receiver hook of thetelephone instrument and adapted to be swung into the path of movementof thereceiver hook to intercept the movement thereof, and a slideconnected to the said stop member for moving the same.

2.' A telephone attachment of the class described including a hookmember pivotally mounted adjacent to the receiver hook of the telephoneinstrument and adapted to be moved into the path of the saidreceiverhook .to intercept the movement thereof when the receiver is disengagedfromthe receiver hook, tension means normally tend ing to swing the hookmember into the path of the receiver hook, and an operating membermounted upon the telephone instrument and operatively connected with thehook member for moving the latter against the action of the tensionmeans 'i-nto inoperative position.

3. A telephone attachment of the class described comprising a hookmember adapted to be mounted adjacent the receiver hook of the telephoneinstrument, said hook member embodying an adjustable section withwhich-v said receiver hook is .adapted to impinge, and an actuatingslide connected to said hook member .at an intermediate point forshifting .the latter about its pivotal mounting. 7

4:. An attachment for telephones of the class described comprising asectional hook member adapted to be pivotally mounted adjacent to thereceiver hook of the "telephone instrument, spring means normallytensioning the hook member'to hold it in a position intercepting thepath ofmovement of the receiver hook, an actuating arm 00- acting withsaid hook member, and guide means for said actuating arm.

5. A telephone attachment oft he class described including a movablymounted hook member, and yielding means normally tending to swing thesame into the path of movement of the receiver hook o1: the telephoneinstrument to prevent a full move ment of the said receiver hook whenthe receiver is lifted therefrom, said hook member being movable awayfrom the path of the receiver hook when full movement'thereof isdesiredand the nose ofthe-hook member abutting yieldably against thereceiver hook when the latter has reached the limit of its movement.

6. A telephone attachment of the classde} scribed, comprising a swingingarm, a hook member having'the shankthereof adjustably connected to theswinging arm and adapted and an actuating member 'operatively conto bemoved into the path of the receiver nected to saidhook member by thesaid fashook of the telephone instrument to intertening member forswinging the arm and 10 cept the movement of the said hook when hookmember. r 5 the receiver is removed therefrom, a fasten- In testimonywhereof I afiix my signature. ing member adjustably connecting the shankof the hook member to the swinging arm, n GEORGE W. SUMNER.

